The Everything Essential French Book: All You Need to Learn French in No Time

Introduction

French is a part of the language family known as Romance languages, so called because they came from Latin (which was spoken by Romans—get it?). Included in this family are Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian; these languages share many similarities, because they all come from a common source. Despite the similarities, however, each are distinct and different, and many agree that French is one of the most romantic languages of all, even if they are referring to romance in a different sense.

French, naturally, originated in France, but you can now find it spoken around the world. In North America, you may run across French speakers in Canada or Louisiana. It is widely spoken in Europe and Africa, and even some Asian countries use French as a major language. In short, you’ll never know where it may come in handy to know a little bit of French.

In this book, we concentrate on standard French, which is sometimes referred to as Parisian French. As the term standard implies, it should be understood wherever you find yourself, even if you have a bit of trouble understanding what other people are saying.

In a sense, the French language has its own governing body. The French Academy, or l’Académie française, was originally established in 1635 and oversees the development of the language. It registers all official French words; until the Academy approves it, a word isn’t technically a part of the language. Despite their efforts to preserve the French language, some expressions still slip in: You’ll inevitably be understood if you order un hamburger or un hot-dog in French, even if the Academy doesn’t acknowledge these words.

CHAPTER 1

Pronouncing and Writing French

This chapter lets you dive into French, with a little speaking and a little writing. Here, you discover how to pronounce basic French letters, letter combinations, and words. You begin writing by focusing on punctuation marks and accents. You’ll be pronouncing and writing like a French pro in no time!

The Alphabet

While French and English use the same alphabet, in French, the letters are pronounced a little differently. If you ever have to spell your name out at a hotel, for example, you want to make sure that you’re understood.

Table 1-1

THE FRENCH ALPHABET

Keep the following points in mind when pronouncing letters in French:

The sound of the letter e in French is very similar to the beginning of the pronunciation of the English word earl.

The letter g is pronounced jhay, with a soft j sound, like in Asia.

The pronunciation of the letter j uses the same soft j, but with an ee sound at the end.

The letter n, especially when appearing at the end of words, is pronounced very softly, with a nasal quality.

Q in English has a distinct ooh sound in it; it is pronounced similarly in French, but without the y sound.

When two letter ls appear together, it creates a yeh sound. The letters are not pronounced the same as one letter; it sounds like the beginning of the English word yearn.

The French r is more guttural than the English one, made at the back of the throat instead of at the front.

Sounds

Most of the consonants in French are pronounced the same as in English, but many of the vowel sounds differ. It is almost impossible to describe the true sound of French using text. For best results, try to listen to actual French being spoken; only then can you appreciate the sound of the language. The following, however, is a list of sounds used in the French language. Practice making the sounds a few times, and say the example words out loud.

on: Sounds much like oh in English, with just a hint of a soft n at the end. You will find it in words such as maison (meh-zohn, meaning house) and garçon (gar-sohn, meaning boy).

ou: An ooh sound that you’ll encounter in words such as tout (tooh, meaning all).

oi: A wha sound, much like the beginning of the English word waddle. A French example is soir (swahr, meaning evening).

oin: Sounds much like the beginning of when in English, with only a hint of the n coming through, very softly. Coin (kwheh, meaning corner) and moins (mwheh, meaning less) are examples.

ai: Sounds like ehh. You’ll find it in a great many words, including maison and vrai (vreh, meaning true).

en: Sounds similar to on in English, but with a much softer n sound. You’ll find it in words like encore (ahnk-ohr, meaning again) and parent (pahr-ahn, meaning parent).

an: Is pronounced the same way as en.

eu: To make this sound, hold your mouth like you’re going to make an eee sound, but say oooh instead; it sounds much like the beginning of the English word earl. Heure (ehhr, meaning hour) is an example.

in: Pronounced like the beginning of the English word enter, but again with a much softer n sound. Magasin (may-guh-zehn, meaning store) and pain (pehn, meaning bread) are examples.

er: Sounds like ayy. You will find this at the end of many verbs, such as parler (parl-ay, meaning to speak) and entrer (ahn-tray, meaning to enter).

Sometimes, letters are silent and are not pronounced; this often occurs with letters at the end of words. The letters are still required in written French, of course, but you don’t hear them. Here are the letters to watch:

Words ending in -d:chaud (show), meaning hot.

Words starting with h-:heureux (er-rooh), meaning happy.

Words ending in -s:compris (com-pree), meaning included.

Words ending in -t:achat (ah-sha), meaning purchase.

Words ending in -x:choix (shwa), meaning choice.

In French, the letter h is usually silent; words that begin with it are usually pronounced as if the h wasn’t there at all. In French, a silent letter is known as muet (moo-eh), and the silent h as h muet (ahsh moo-eh). There are a few cases where the h will be pronounced; it is then known as an aspirated h, or h aspiré (ahsh as-pee-ray). The majority of French words that begin with h are pronounced with an h muet, so, when pronounced, they’ll sound as if they begin with a vowel. Words that begin with an h aspiré are the exception.

Often, in spoken French, words are run together. This occurs when using words that begin with vowels after words that end in a hard consonant sound. When learning the language, this can cause consternation for new speakers, as it can be difficult to understand what other people are saying. In addition, words can be shortened, and contractions can be formed, adding to the confusion. Other times, the syllables are just pushed together, so two or three words can sound like one long word instead.

French is known for the rolling r sound. You can learn to roll your r’s, too, with just a little bit of practice. Start to make a k sound and hold it. Close your throat a little bit, breathe out slowly, and start to say raw. Don’t worry if it starts to come out as graw—keep doing it. Practice this a couple of times a day, and you’ll soon sound just like Maurice Chevalier.

In French, this is known as enchaînement, or linking the sounds together. Not all linked sounds are due to enchaînement, however. Liaison and elision are grammatical concepts that also result in sounds getting pushed together (see the following section).

Don’t be afraid to try speaking French: French speakers are usually very patient when speaking with people who are new to the language. As a rule, native French speakers are pleased that someone is taking the time to try to communicate using their language, and they’re usually happy and eager to help you understand. This is a European approach, quite different from North American expectations, which assume that everyone should speak English—and speak it well. You’ll find the French to be very accommodating with your budding linguistic abilities; don’t be afraid to express yourself.

Liaison, Elision, and Enchaînement

Some pronunciation areas are governed by the grammatical concepts elision and liaison, and enchaînement also affects pronunciation of certain words. Keep the following pronunciation points in mind.

Liaison

Liaison occurs when one word ends in a consonant and the following word begins with a vowel. It is only a concern in spoken French, of course, but it is still a part of the formal language rules. Its proper usage must be observed at all times.

Using Liaison with Nouns

Whenever an article or number that ends in a consonant is used with a noun that begins with a vowel, the final letter joins with the next vowel sound.

Table 1-2

LIAISON WITH NOUNS

Using Liaison with Verbs

When a pronoun that ends in a consonant is used with a verb that begins with a vowel, liaison occurs. Nous avons, for example, which means we have, is pronounced noo-za-vohn. Ils ont, which means they have, is pronounced eel-zohn.

Using Liaison with Verbs in Sentences Using Inversion

When a verb that ends in a consonant is used in a question constructed with inversion (see Chapter 7), and the subject pronoun starts with a vowel, liaison occurs. Ont-elles?, for example, which means Have they? is pronounced ohn-tell.

Using Liaison with Certain Adverbs, Conjunctions, Prepositions, and Other Expressions

Certain adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and other expressions use liaison. Here are some examples:

Chez-lui (shay-loo-ee)

Comment allez-vous? (commahn-tallay-voo)

Vingt et un (vehn-tay-uhn)

Knowing When Liaison Must Not Be Used

There are some times when liaison must not be used under any circumstances, even though it may appear that liaison is appropriate or even expected. The use of liaison in these situations may cause comprehension problems, because native speakers definitely won’t be expecting it. The resulting phrase may sound like some other phrase, causing your listeners to wonder what on earth you’re talking about.

After a noun used in the singular: For example, l’étudiant a un livre (lay-tchoo-dee-ahn ah uhn leevr).

After et, the word for and: For example, vingt et un (vehn-tay uhn).(Note: the liason between vingt and et is correct; there is no liason between et and un.)

In front of an h aspiré: For example, des héros (day ay-ro).

Elision

Elision occurs when two vowels appear together—one at the end of a word, and the other at the beginning of the word immediately following it. One of the vowels is dropped, and the remaining letter is joined to the following word with an apostrophe.

l’eau, pronounced low, is an elision of la + eau (water)

l’été, pronounced lay-tay, is an elision of le + été (summer)

Elision is a frequent occurrence with articles and nouns, but can also occur with verbs and subject pronouns, and even prepositions (see Chapter 9). This affects both written and spoken French, so it is an important concept to remember.

When does elision, or dropping a vowel, occur?

Elision can occur with any of the following words when followed by another word that begins with a vowel: ce, de, je, la, le, me, ne, que, se, si, and te.

Enchaînement

Enchaînement, unlike liaison and elision, is a matter of pronunciation only; it does not affect written French. It does, however, operate in a similar fashion, pushing the sounds of words together. Instead of being governed by vowels and consonants, though, enchaînement is governed by phonetic sounds. And instead of affecting the last letter of a word, enchaînement affects the last sound.

il a (ee-la)

une école (ooh-nay-kohl)

elle est (el-lay)

Capitalization

For the most part, French follows the same rules regarding capitalization as English, with a few exceptions. In French, a capital letter is known as a majuscule. Capitalized words are said to be en majuscules. The following shows the types of words that are capitalized in French:

The first word in a sentence is capitalized.

Both first and last names are capitalized.

Names of cities, countries, and continents are capitalized.

Directions are capitalized to indicate a specific place, like l’Amérique du Nord (f) (North America). When used to indicate a general direction, like le nord (north), no majuscule is used.

When a word is used as a noun to indicate the nationality of a person, for example, un Français (a Frenchman), the word is capitalized.

Punctuation Marks

Written French looks very similar to English, so reading books in French should seem almost familiar. For the most part, French uses the same punctuation marks, and they function in much the same way as in English. Included in this section are the French terms for many punctuation marks; they are handy words to know, and you never can tell when you may be called upon to use them.

Brackets

Brackets, called les crochets (lay crow-shay), are often used to show words inserted into quoted text to help explain the original. In English, they are sometimes referred to as square brackets. They function the same in both languages.

Colon

The colon, called les deux-points (lay doo-pwehn), is used to introduce another phrase that is related to the previous one. Usually, the following phrase will be an elaboration on a point or something that explains the sentence more clearly. The colon functions the same in both languages.

Comma

The comma, called la virgule (la vehr-gool), is used in the same way as English uses them, but remember that French also uses une virgule when indicating an amount of money. For example, 1.25 in English would be 1,25 in French, exchange rates notwithstanding.

Exclamation Point

An exclamation point, called le point d’exclamation (le pwehn dex-kla-mass-yohn), can be used at the end of a sentence to indicate an element of surprise, excitement, or other intense emotion. The usage between French and English is, for the most part, interchangeable.

Ellipsis

An ellipsis, a series of three periods that’s called les points de suspension (lay pwehn de soos-pehnss-yohn) in French, is often used to indicate sections of quoted text that have been omitted for whatever reason. In dialogue, it can also be used to indicate trailing speech. A way to remember the French term is to think that something is left unsaid when the marks are used, creating an aura of suspense.

Parentheses

Parentheses, called les parenthèses (lay pahr-ent-ez), are used in the same way as in English, usually to refer to an aside statement without interrupting the flow of the sentence. Wrapping a phrase in parentheses indicates that the phrase is meant to elaborate but at the same time be self-sustaining, separate from the phrase that appears around it.

Period

The period, called le point (le pwehn), is used at the end of a sentence; anytime you use a period in English, you can do the same in French, except when indicating amounts of money.

Question Mark

A question mark, called le point d’interrogation (le pwehn dint-hehr-oh-gass-yohn), is used to indicate a question. In written French, you will most often see est-ce que used to indicate a sentence; in dialogue, however, you may encounter inversion or even plain sentences that use a question mark (see Chapter 7). In the latter case, the dialogue is intended to be read with intonation; the question mark is your clue.

Quotation Marks

French quotation marks, called les guillemets (lay gee-meht), appear slightly different from English ones. Instead of using symbols that look like apostrophes, as in English, French uses small double arrows that wrap around the quotation, as follows:

Il dit: «je ne sais pas.» He said, I don’t know.

Semicolon

A semicolon, called le point-virgule (le pwehn-vehr-gool), is used to attach a phrase that is loosely related to the previous phrase in the sentence. Like the comma and period, its usage is primarily interchangeable with the English usage.

Accents and Diacritical Marks

In order to provide guides to pronunciation, French uses accents and diacritical marks, which are pronunciation marks that appear with some letters.

There are three accents commonly used with vowels; the grave, the aigu, and the circonflexe.

The Aigu Accent

The aigu (ay-gooh) points upward and toward the right, as in é. In English, it is known as the acute accent. Although it only appears over the letter e, it can become an integral part of a word, substantially changing its meaning. The aigu accent also provides important clues about where the word fits in a sentence. Whenever it appears, it changes the pronunciation of the e from an ehh sound (like the middle e sounds in treble) to an ay sound.

réveil (ray-vay): alarm clock

médecin (may-dehh-sehn): doctor

épicé (ay-pee-say): spicy

The Grave Accent

The grave accent (pronounced like the beginning grav in gravel) falls to the left, as in è. The grave accent can appear over the letter a, e, i, o, or u; however, it changes the pronunciation only when it appears above e. It’s not so important in spoken French, so it can be easy to forget about. The grave accent must be used in written French, however, so pay close attention to the words that use it.

très (treh): very

où (ooh): where

troisième (twa-zee-emm): third

The Circonflexe

The circonflexe (sir-kohn-flex) accent appears over vowels, like a little hat over the letter, as in ô. It doesn’t modify the pronunciation at all, but the French Academy has opted to keep it, so it remains with the language.

forêt (fohh-ray): forest

hôtel (owe-tel): hotel

hôpital (owe-pee-tal): hospital

The Cédille

The cédille (say-dee)—in English, the cedilla, pronounced se-dill-ah—is a diacritical mark appearing underneath the letter c that makes look like it has a tail: ç. It indicates a soft s sound instead of the hard k sound the letter c would normally have if it appeared before the vowels a, o, or u. For example, the French language is referred to as français—pronounced frahn-say. The c becomes soft, turning into an s. (If the cedilla were not present, the word would be pronounced frahn-kay.)

garçon (gahr-sohn): boy

leçon (leh-sohn): lesson

façon (fass-ohn): manner

The Tréma

The tréma (tray-ma) is the French word for the two dots that appear above the second vowel when two vowels are situated together. In English, it is known as an umlaut, and is used in some foreign words, including words borrowed from French. The diacritical mark tells you that the second vowel is to be pronounced on its own, distinct from the vowel preceding it. Noël and naïve are examples of French words that are commonly used in English; Noël is pronounced no-well, and naïve is pronounced nigh-eve; in French, the sound is softer and pronounced more to the front of the mouth.

coïncidence (ko-ehn-see-dahnss): coincidence

Jamaïque (jam-eh-eek): Jamaica

Noël (no-ell): Christmas

CHAPTER 2

Using Everyday Expressions

This chapter gets you ready to speak French like a native! Here, you’ll discover a wide range of expressions that don’t necessarily make sense when you translate them word for word, but make a whole lot of sense to the French speaker you’re communicating with. To aid in that communication, this chapter also helps you understand greetings and basic numbers.

Colloquial, Idiomatic, and Other Useful Expressions

Almost all languages have some peculiarities that defy literal translation. English is rife with expressions that cannot be taken literally. Consider the phrase: How is it going?

How is what going? Wouldn’t it be much easier simply to say, How are you? These types of phrases often cause problems for a new language student, no matter which language. You can probably think of other examples that would be difficult to translate into another language.

These nonliteral phrases are known as idiomatic expressions, which simply means that the expression is unique to that language. Whenever you come across idiomatic expressions, you cannot translate them literally. You must go to the heart of the phrase and instead translate its sentiment so that the proper meaning is conveyed. Idiomatic expressions usually follow a certain pattern of construction, and they are very much a part of the grammar of each language.

Closely related to idiomatic expressions are colloquial expressions. Often, colloquial expressions are also unique to the language,